American film director and songwriter Joseph Brooks has reportedly committed suicide.

According to The AP, Brooks was found dead earlier today at his apartment in Manhattan, New York by a close friend.

He is said to have been found with a plastic bag wrapped around his head, along with a hose connected to a helium tank.

Brooks was best known for his 1977 romantic comedy You Light Up My Life, which featured the film's titular Grammy and Academy Award-winning song.

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'You Light Up My Life' was later covered by Debby Boone and went on to become the US number one for ten consecutive weeks.

Brooks had faced mounting legal difficulties in recent years following his arrest in 2009, and had been awaiting trial for 82 counts of sexual assault. He was allegedly said to have attacked 13 actresses after inviting them into his apartment, under the pretext of giving them an audition.

The screenwriter's son Nicholas is also awaiting trial after being accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend.